ION Fest to Honor DPS Film Roman, Fleischer

The ION Int’l Animation, Gaming and Short Film Festival will recognize the 20th anniversary of DPS Film Roman, the Emmy Award-winning animation studio behind the hit Fox shows The Simpsons and King of the Hill. The fest’s opening night gala, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 at The Pacific Theatre in Culver City, Calif., will also feature the first-ever Max Fleischer Lifetime Achievement Award, presented this year to Fleischer Studios.

Simpsons voice cast members Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria will be on hand for the DPS Film Roman salute, as will King of the Hill starsDavid Herman, Kathy Najimy and Brittany Murphy. Nzinga Blake from Cartoon Network’s Fridays will also be among the celebrities in attendance. The opening night presentation will be immediately followed by a red-carpet after-party at Culver Hotel.

"I’m honored that ION can launch itself as a festival by celebrating DPS Film Roman for 20 phenomenal years of cutting edge work," says festival founder Chris Davies. "This festival’s mandate is to reflect the brilliance and innovation of just such work. The worlds of animation and film are rapidly merging with games and ION sees this convergence as the future of content."

The inaugural ION Animation, Games and Short Film Festival and Summit is being held at The Culver Studios and throughout downtown Culver City Oct. 28-31. The Culver Studios will host screenings of high-quality animation, short films, music videos and games by filmmakers and gaming companies from around the world. Other Culver City venues will house panel discussions and various other events.

The three-day summit gives students, educators, creatives and executives a unique forum for exchanging ideas so they will be better positioned to meet the demands of the changing entertainment landscape. It also serves as a venue for gaming companies to introduce new products and technologies to eager audiences of early adopters.

The festival will close on Oct. 31with a special Kid’s Day, featuring educational workshops and a special screening of Mainframe Ent.’s animated hit Halloween special, Scary Godmother.

Registration will be held each day from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Culver Hotel, located at 9336 West Washington Blvd. in Culver City. To see the full schedule of events and to obtain passes and screening tickets, go to www.ionfilmfestival.com.

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